Alan Carr Keeps Concrete Cow Sculpture After Castle Auction
Comedian Alan Carr is set to retain the only item that did not sell during an auction of unwanted belongings from his recently acquired Scottish Borders castle — a concrete cow sculpture.
It was announced in February that the Celebrity Traitors winner had purchased Ayton Castle, located in the Scottish Borders.
On Sunday, hundreds of "residual" contents, deemed unwanted by both Carr and the previous owners, were auctioned off.
Auctioneer Jim Railton stated that the concrete cow, which was part of a larger collection of sculptures, failed to attract any bids, and thus Carr will keep it as a keepsake.
The concrete cow - part of a wider collection - was the only lot which went unsold
Auction Details and Items Sold
The auction was held at Ayton Castle on Sunday, following public viewings on Friday and Saturday.
The sale featured a wide variety of items including furniture, paintings, and textiles.
The highest price achieved during the auction was £24,000 for a five-seater Bentley Mulsanne.
Branxton Cement Menagerie Sculptures
Among the notable items were pieces from the Northumberland folk art collection known as the Branxton Cement Menagerie.
These sculptures were created in the 1960s by a retired joiner to entertain his disabled son. The collection expanded over time and became a popular visitor attraction.
The collection was sold and moved to Ayton Castle in 2021, but its pieces have now been auctioned off to the highest bidders, except for the concrete cow which Carr will keep.
The Branxton animals fetched about £28,000 at the auction
Comments from Auctioneer Jim Railton
Jim Railton, of Railtons Auctioneers, described the auction day as "very busy."
"Seven-and-a-half hours of selling non-stop and we only had one item that was unsold, which is quite a good record," he said.
He confirmed that the unsold item was the cow from the Branxton Menagerie.
"For some reason we couldn't get a bid for it," he said.
"So Alan Carr, who has bought the castle, is going to keep it as an ornament or a memory of all the animals that were at Branxton and then went to Ayton.
"He's going to keep the one cow and enjoy it as a memory of the Branxton animals that resided there for a little while."
Overall Auction Results
Carr purchased Ayton Castle in the Scottish Borders earlier this year.
Railton noted that the sculptures collectively raised approximately £28,000.
"I was quite pleased with the Branxton animals because that was a bit of an unknown quantity, how well they'd do," he said.
"But it seemed to have taken off and it sold well."
Overall, Railton estimated the auction would generate about £100,000, which will be paid to the owners who sold the castle to Carr.
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